Iowa State hosted a trio of 2026 prospects during its last home game against Kansas Saturday at Hilton Coliseum.
Ethan Brown, a 6-foot-4 guard out of Rolla High School in Missouri, was impressed with the atmosphere during another visit to Ames.
“It was cool,” Brown said. That was the loudest place I’ve ever been to. It was a cool environment there and the support from their students unlike anything else.”
Brown established himself in the 2026 class as a freshman, averaging over 18.9 points, 4.5 assists per game for his high school team.
His numbers are up thus far in his sophomore season, as his scoring average is up to 22.9 points per game. He’s also doubled his rebounding average, which is up to 5.2 from the 2.9 mark in his first season.
He previously visited Iowa State during the fall semester and the program brought him in over the weekend to experience the Game Day atmosphere.
“It’s just a dream come true at this point,” Brown said. “I’ve always had dreams of playing college basketball, but as a kid growing up, I didn’t really know what to expect.”
Brown holds offers from St. Louis, Lindenwood and SEMO and has been in contact with Missouri as well as Missouri State. He’s rated as a top 3 prospect in his state by RecruitLook Hoops Missouri, too.
Iowa State wants to see Brown grow and develop over his final two seasons of prep ball.
“The main thing (for me) is just just putting on more weight and to keep getting stronger,” Brown said. That’s the biggest thing they tell me to keep improving on.”
During the visit, Iowa State brought Brown in to show him where he’d fit in offensively with the team
“They sat me down in their film room and showed me how their offense is and stuff just show and like where I’d fit in there,” Brown said. “It’s definitely somewhere that I can see myself playing at and in that type of offense. It felt good that they complimented me that much, and they could see me fitting in there. So, it just made me feel good that other people have got confidence in me too.”
Below are some of the highlights from an AAU game Brown played in, just ahead of the start of his sophomore season.
“Iowa State’s support from the fans and the students – that’s just, that’s unmatched,” Brown said. “It was probably one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen.”
